Basic Linear Actuator questions

[rrob311]

I am setting up my 7.5' SAMI dish and it has a linear actuator mounted on the west side of the dish. I have a few basic questions. I pretty much figured out on my own how to set the elevation at true south, however the dish is at the west end of travel and I have no way to power it yet.

My first question is will my 4dtv and Analog receivers be able to center the actuator using a certain command like diseqc? If this is not the case how would I set the actuator to the center and due south at the same time? I would like to be able to move the dish from 43w-131w if possible. My south satellite is 72w. 58w-131w would work also. I don't have any idea how to wire this either to the receiver. Is the wiring universally color coded? Does anyone have a basic diagram? There is no writing on the actuator and I am not sure how to measure it.

 

[T4Runner]

I am setting up my 7.5' SAMI dish and it has a linear actuator mounted on the west side of the dish. I have a few basic questions. I pretty much figured out on my own how to set the elevation at true south, however the dish is at the west end of travel and I have no way to power it yet.

My first question is will my 4dtv and Analog receivers be able to center the actuator using a certain command like diseqc? If this is not the case how would I set the actuator to the center and due south at the same time? I would like to be able to move the dish from 43w-131w if possible. My south satellite is 72w. 58w-131w would work also. I don't have any idea how to wire this either to the receiver. Is the wiring universally color coded? Does anyone have a basic diagram? There is no writing on the actuator and I am not sure how to measure it.

If you have a 12v battery charger you can use it to move the actuator when attached to the dish to about half the extension length, ( 18 inch or 24 inch, will be 9 inches or 12 inches) then unbolt the mount and move the whole unit to approximate due South to start. But..

When you unscrew the cover on the actuator there should be two wires a little thicker than the others (if you still have wires attached). Those are the motor wires. Do not hook up the smaller sensor wire connections to the 12v source or you will be buying a new sensor...

Mine had a small drawing on the inside of the cover which helped.

 

[rrob311]

Cool, so do you think a car battery would work? The actuator seems to have a rubber boot on it. Should I just use my Inclinometer on the mount when I get it centered and set my elevation for my due south? I am still not clear on where I should set my actuator center of travel at. should I put it at the midway between 43-131 which would be 87w while setting my elevation at the 72w where the mount is centered at?

 

[FaT Air]

With the actuator retracted, set the actuator so the dish is slightly past as far, in that direction, as needed. Then "take what you get"** for the other direction. Or set the limit switch so as to no 'flop-over' the dish. **( or push it out to get the other side more, losing some on the actuator side)
Mine is on the east side, and fully retracted get just past 53W. West side will get to 139W with limit switch set just past 139(139.5-140 ??)
A car battery, or charger, will work just fine.
Angles at Zenith: Set with the dish at the highest point in it's travel on the polar mount.

 

[johann12]

T4 and Fat Air just about covered it.
If you reverse the wires on the battery then the actuator will go the other way.

 

[primestar31]

I ran mine on a 12 volt battery for a day or so, while I was tuning it in. Works perfectly, just much slower than the full 36 volts. I just reversed the wires depending which way I wanted to go.

 

[T4Runner]

Let me see if I can say this without confusing myself....


You want 43 to 131 so 131-43=88.
88\2=44 deg ( half of your LIne of sight)
Add 43W deg to 44 deg = 87 deg W
Your due South sat is 72W, so...
87W - 72W=15 deg West of your due South for the half way point of your actuator.

On one of my actuators it's 7 clicks per 2 degrees.
On the other one its 12 clicks for 2 degrees.

Confusing? Or helpful?

 

[rrob311]

I figured out the 87w part as my actuator center. I have never used one of these so I need to know if the different receivers will move the actuator the same amount and whatnot. I also need to know how to set the basic parts of the receiver memory. Its helpful to now know that each actuator has different amounts of movement. So when I find 87w as my center of travel how would I setup the 4dtv? I will probably setup at least 1 analog receiver and 2 4dtvs for this arc. Where do I enter my base position in the memory? Then when I set my east and west limits will the 4dtv already have a number that I will save? I see my limits are at 3000 east and 5900 west on this particular 920 4dtv.

 

[T4Runner]

Sorry, sold my DSR922 a while back and I'm no help for setting it up. But someone will jump in to answer I'm sure.

 

[Lone Gunman]

QUESTION, where did you get this dish? Reason I ask is that if it came from someone near you, ie, within 15 miles or so then it's likely parked on "some" satellite now. When I moved my Windgard dish from my oild house to the new one, all I did was set the dish on it's new mounting post, connect up the receiver and a TV then turned the dish on the post until I got a signal. That put me in the ball park and I tweaked it from there. Did the exact same thing with my SAMI dish too and it worked for that one also.

 

[waylew]

What I'd do;
First get the north/south relatively close on the polar mount,don't worry where the dish is pointed just get the mount set.Then using a battery or whatever fully retract the actuator and adjust the actuator in the clamp to as low to the west as you think you can see.Then run it out as far east as it will go,without binding or flopping and set the limit switch in the actuator so it can't bind or flop.Now retract back so the dish is at the highest point.Now find your true south and get the dish tracking the arc,now that you have the dish set you can hook up the 4D.
You'll need 4 wires,2 heavy gauge for the motor,2 light gauge for the sensor(assuming it's a reed switch).On the 4D the motor wires go to M1 and M2(if the dish moves the wrong way just swap the wires on one end),the sensor wires will go to pulse and ground(doesn't matter which goes where),do not hook to the +5 terminal.
Now set your limits, Options 6-4-3,don't worry about the counter numbers,they will be whatever they will be.You can now start finding and programming in sats,Options 6-4-4:rant:.
Well this is where the site threw me out and auto save didn't save everything so I'm done for now,maybe tommorrow.

 

[rrob311]

L. G. I got the dish a few hundred miles southwest of me near Allentown PA.

Waylew when you say set the limit switch in the actuator is it something on the actuator I can see?

 

[FaT Air]

limit switches in actuators have usually a rod or a cam that actuates it. Run your actuator out as far as needed, or is 'safe' and adjust to just hit the switch. When you have the cover off, you'll see it.

 

[Lone Gunman]

BTW, my SAMI dish is also a 7.5 footer with a 24" SuperJack linear actuator on it mounted on the west side like yours. I'm looking at 139w to 37w and probably could get to 30w if the trees on my property were shorter.

The linear actuators I've seen (Von Weise and SuperJack) have the limit switches inside the cover on the end and are the adjustable cam type. If this dish was originally setup and working before you got it, then it's likely that the limits are already set. Just be careful though as if you get the polarity reversed running the motor in the opposite direction than intended, then the limit switch may not stop it. This is especially critical when it's running in the IN direction as if the inner tube runs out of travel it may hork up some stuff.

 

[waylew]

The other guys covered the limit switch so I'll try to remember the rest of last nites post that got cut off.
OK,Options 6-4-4 to program sats,I usually start with "C4"135w,the 2 analog,9&10,shopping channels are easy to find and while your there it's a good place to peak your skew.Then just start working your way up,"G1"133 and"C3"131 have analogs that are easy to find,get those 3 in and that will give you an idea of how far to move to find your next sat.
Just some FYI's;Don't use "autotune"I've never found it to work all that well.When your doing your initial set up with the 12 volt,the actuator is going to move really slow.Well that's all I can remember for now,but it should be enough to get you in trouble or confused .

 

[rrob311]

I am setting up a Superjack this AM with my 10' Winegard and am not sure which way to mount the actuator. There are several spacers and washers and I am not sure which side they go on. Does anyone have a manual for this? I know which side of the dish to mount it but I don't want it to bind up or anything. I was going to follow the pattern on my SAMI dish but I want it to be perfect.

 

[FaT Air]

Install the spacers to allow the actuator to move the dish across the arc so that no parts come into contact other than the mounting of the actuator itself. I.E. the tubes clear the dish and mount. It's also preferred to align the actuator with the plane of the dish side actuator mount so that the actuator isn't also moving up or down as it extends/retracts.

 

[Lak7]

I am setting up a Superjack this AM with my 10' Winegard and am not sure which way to mount the actuator.

I think the rule on thumb is.....
If you are East of the Mississippi, the Arm is mounted on the West side - when standing behind the Dish, looking South.

What I do....
Retract Arm fully, then drive out a half inch or so - allows for future adjustments.
Pick the lowest Sat you wish to receive.
Slide arm in the clamp until you have signal on your chosen lowest Sat.
Tighten clamp.
Slowly drive Dish up towards Center, making sure nothing will bind or hit the mount.
Drive past Center, again watching that the mount will not hit the Arm.

Keep in mind that an Arm is not a Horizon-To-Horizon positioner - don't over extend.

With a 24" Arm, I am able to travel from 43 West to 138 West
Currently using 18" arm, and "can" travel from 55.5 to 138, but I don't go past 72 unless totally necessary.

 

[Mitch Dickson]

Also, don't forget that on a C band dish you not only have azmeth and elevation, you also have "offset declination". I haven't see your dish, but if there is no way to set offset declination, it will not track the arc! Back when dishes first came out, there was Satcom 3 and Galaxy 1, then when the sky filled the old dishes could not be made to track. Not something the homeowner wanted to hear

You see a polar mount will turn exactly parallel to the equator across the arc. But the satellites are only 23,000 miles out above the equator so a dish has to be tilted by the amount you are from the equator to make it track across the arc. This is in addition to the azmeth and elevation of the polar mount.